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Bunratty Report
An in-depth, finger-pointing report from our Agent in Limerick
The Bunratty chess festival, held every February, is one of the
highlights of the season. With nearly 500 competitors in all sections,
there was the usual attraction of several high profile players; this
year as part of the grand prix circuit the masters section was
reinforced with several English masters.
Local interest in the masters section was nil, with no UCU representation. Top seed was the inimitable Dr. John Nunn, weighing in at a mighty 2617 elo. However, in the first round, as black, he was on the wrong end of a stunning attack by Irishman John Joyce (2271). Dr. J does not enjoy the best of records at Bunratty, and his first round capitulation effectively ended his tournament hopes.
Just showing how tough the top players found the going, Israeli GM Alon Greenfeld, 2539, was downed in round 3 by Irish junior Mathew Dignam, 2159; Dignam delivering mate with 5 seconds left.
Englishman Lorin D'Costa, a regular visitor to Bunratty for several years now, made off with the top prize, scoring 5/6. Very composed at the board, the university student dispatched several big names to claim the championship.
The UCU was well represented in the lower sections, 10 players in the Challengers, and 1 each in the Major and Minor sections. Perhaps the long journey south, together with the late night entertainment on offer affected the form, for only Damien Lavery (Bangor) managed to distinguish himself with a plus score (3.5/6). The cross table did not make pleasant reading at times and for some, finding the pairings should not have proved difficult; round 5 saw Des Moreland (0) vs. Paul McLoughlin (0) on bottom board. Needless to say a very quick draw was agreed.
Bangor junior players, Richard Morrow and David Grzymek, enjoyed their first taste of Bunratty's festive atmosphere, despite hard-times over the chess board. Richard was dumb-struck in his "friendly" blitz match against John Nunn (GM) when Richard's Queen suddenly vanished from the board after only a few moves.
Full details of the event can be found at http://members.aol.com/bunrattychess/
Local interest in the masters section was nil, with no UCU representation. Top seed was the inimitable Dr. John Nunn, weighing in at a mighty 2617 elo. However, in the first round, as black, he was on the wrong end of a stunning attack by Irishman John Joyce (2271). Dr. J does not enjoy the best of records at Bunratty, and his first round capitulation effectively ended his tournament hopes.
Just showing how tough the top players found the going, Israeli GM Alon Greenfeld, 2539, was downed in round 3 by Irish junior Mathew Dignam, 2159; Dignam delivering mate with 5 seconds left.
Englishman Lorin D'Costa, a regular visitor to Bunratty for several years now, made off with the top prize, scoring 5/6. Very composed at the board, the university student dispatched several big names to claim the championship.
The UCU was well represented in the lower sections, 10 players in the Challengers, and 1 each in the Major and Minor sections. Perhaps the long journey south, together with the late night entertainment on offer affected the form, for only Damien Lavery (Bangor) managed to distinguish himself with a plus score (3.5/6). The cross table did not make pleasant reading at times and for some, finding the pairings should not have proved difficult; round 5 saw Des Moreland (0) vs. Paul McLoughlin (0) on bottom board. Needless to say a very quick draw was agreed.
Bangor junior players, Richard Morrow and David Grzymek, enjoyed their first taste of Bunratty's festive atmosphere, despite hard-times over the chess board. Richard was dumb-struck in his "friendly" blitz match against John Nunn (GM) when Richard's Queen suddenly vanished from the board after only a few moves.
Full details of the event can be found at http://members.aol.com/bunrattychess/